---
sidebar_label: step-down
description: |-
  The "operator step-down" forces the OpenBao server at the given address to step
  down from active duty.
---

# operator step-down

The `operator step-down` forces the active OpenBao node within an [HA cluster](/docs/concepts/ha)
to step down from active duty. When executed against a  standby node,  the
request will be forwarded to the active node.  While the  affected node will
have a delay before attempting to acquire  the leader lock again, if no other
OpenBao nodes acquire the lock beforehand, it is possible for the same node to
re-acquire the lock and become active again.

## Examples

Force an OpenBao server to step down as the leader:

```shell-session
$ bao operator step-down
Success! Stepped down: http://127.0.0.1:8200
```

## Usage

There are no flags beyond the [standard set of flags](/docs/commands)
included on all commands.
